13th of the 12 Bakers
by DeltaQ
Summary: Dominique, cousin to the Bakers, is invited to spend the summer with them at Lake Winnetka, but she's in for some surprises...
1. Situation so far

Dominique St. James is attending Harvard as a sophomore and she is one of the best in her entire year, competing for this spot with her arch-nemesis, Daniel Murtaugh, the most arrogant and infuriating but also the most handsome guy she's ever met…

Now, in order to relieve some stress from a year of hard work, she's going to spend her vacation with her family, the Bakers. The father, Tom, is her mother's brother, and he and her aunt Kate have invited her to come to Wisconsin with them, just like the good old days, when Dominique or Nik as she's called by friends and family, and her mother (her British father died when she was very young) lived in the same town as the Bakers and she practically grew up in their household, while her mother was working every day just to make enough money to live. Her father had come from a wealthy family, but they had cut him off when he married her mother, and when they had nothing left, her mother had no other choice but to rely on her brother and his wife to take care of her daughter. But they didn't mind and cared for her as one of their own, eventually becoming like the 13th of the 12 Bakers…

She didn't mind either, seeing as she didn't have any brothers or sisters, so she considers the Bakers like her siblings instead of her cousins. After years of attending the local schools in Midland with her best friend Charlie and the rest of the family, her mother suddenly died and after that, her own family decided to take notice of her and offered to pay for her education, as long as she came to England to do it. Her mother had always wanted the best for her, so she decided she had to honour that wish and get the best education possible, even if that meant going all the way to England … only to return when she finished high school, not only because she had insisted on attending Harvard, but also because she missed America and her family there. Not that she got to see much of them, with all the time she spent studying, so she's going to make up for that now… by spending a few weeks at Lake Winnetka in total peace and quiet… or as much peace and quiet you can get in a house with 15 other people and one dog… and if only she could stop thinking about that annoying moron that won't stop competing with her….


	2. Stress, stress and some more stress

AAAAAARRGGGHHHHH!

A scream was heard from within one of the dorm rooms, but this was not an uncommon occurrence in that particular room, so hardly anyone noticed anymore. Almost no one, but Ashley, who could hardly ignore her roommate when she was this upset. She was also trying to study, so she had no other choice but to ask her what was wrong, even though she knew the answer already.

'What's wrong, sweetie?' she asked, trying not to anger her any further.

'You know damn well what's wrong… that stupid, arrogant bastard Daniel Murtaugh is once again competing with me over everything I do… why can't he just let it go for once and accept that I am just a better student than he is?' Modest as always, Ashley thought. Not that she needed to be, her grades and accomplishments spoke for herself, but when it came to this guy, Ashley wasn't so sure that Nik was the better student.

'Maybe because he's convinced he's the better student here. You know, he could be…. Now done get mad at me, you know he's always competing with you cause he can… which means he's on your level' Ashley said, taking a couple steps backwards, in case Nik was gonna react badly to her answer. But this didn't anger her as she had thought, instead it made her sink down on the couch and put her head in her hands. _This is unexpected…_

'I'm just so sick of all this, but I can't give up, just because he's fighting me for the spot of best student of the year. I want that spot just as badly and when the grades are announced we'll see which of us wins… but right now I'm just tired of it'

'Have you ever considered that maybe that's not the only reason he's doing this? I know it's important to him to get good grades, but maybe he's also trying to get your attention' Ashley said and when noticing Nik's look of disbelief she continued 'Don't look at me like I suddenly have two heads, you heard me. I think he might like you, I've seen the way he looks at you, like…

'Like he hates my guts and is determined to beat me at everything I do?' Nik interrupted, refusing to believe a word her roommate was saying.

'Like he's impressed by you and maybe even like he wants you' Ashley finished.

'Ash, I'm too tired for this nonsense. Let's just finish packing my bags and think of a less sickening subject to talk about, okay?' Nik said, walking towards her closet, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about this for quite some time.

…_and maybe even __like he wants you… _No way, she thought, would he ever want me. And even if he did, I don't want him. _Or do I? I need to stop thinking about this, now! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, he's an arrogant pig… too bad he's also too handsome for his own good... No! I'm going to stop thinking about him… I really am…_

Ashley could see Nik's obvious struggle with herself and decided to help her out.

'You know, I'm gonna let it go, alright? Just this once, cause you're already stressed out, even though I know I'm right. We'll pack your bags and you can go relax a couple of weeks with your family, catch some more sleep, swim a bit, work on your singing and dancing skills in the woods or something…'

Something sure to distract her, Ashley thought, mentioning some of Nik's favourite hobbies, singing and dancing, besides obsessing over her nemesis of course. 'You'll be able to catch some sun after staying in this room for weeks to study non-stop. Maybe you'll get a tan, look even more beautiful and drive even more guys crazy who know they can never have you, but nevertheless try to get you' she said mischievously, trying to get Nik to laugh again, knowing she didn't give a shit about all the guys that wanted her just for her looks, thought them to be idiots and instead concentrated on her studies, all the while making fun of their pathetic attempts to seduce her. And it worked, a smile finally appearing on her friend's face, just as mischievous as her own. 'You're right, that would be fun. Thanks Ash, you always know how to make me feel better. Now we have to start packing, otherwise I'm gonna miss the train' and at that the girls frantically started searching for Nik's possessions that needed to come along on the trip, her nemesis, frustrations and possible crush momentarily forgotten, until the inevitable moment when the grades where announced, but that wasn't for another 3 weeks. _Surely I can stop thinking about him until then?_


	3. Nik's Grand Entrance

With her head against the glass, she watched the scenery go by. She had been in the train for hours now and she was feeling incredibly sleepy, but didn't think it was safe to leave her stuff lying around while she was sleeping. So instead she listened to some music and gazed out the window. 'Shut up, just shut up, shut up…' the Black Eyed Peas sang into her ears. _O how many arguments and fights had begun between me and Murtaugh with those words… He's just so infuriating, we argue at least once a day and fight on average probably once a week… that can't be healthy right? Whenever he starts talking I just get the urge to put my hands around his neck and… Stop! No thinking about touching him, even if it's to kill him… crap, now I'm thinking about touching him…No! No! Different subject or even better, think nothing!...Like that's even possible...I've got it! What am I going to do at the lake? Let's see, go running with Charlie, do something dangerous with Sara and Jake, search for wild animals with Mark, think about Murtaugh….. damn!... take fashion advice from Lorraine, talk to Nora about her baby, research something very intellectual with Jessica and Kim, make music with Henry and play hide-and-seek with Mike, Nigel and Kyle… and after that I'm gonna practice my singing and find a disco or some other place to dance and think about Murtaugh… god, why can't I stop! I've been obsessing to much about this rivalry, that's it… nothing else…no big deal…_

When she had dosed off a bit against the window, looking very charming of course, her phone suddenly rang. It was the manager of the café at the university where she sometimes sung if they managed to persuade her. Someone who had heard her some time ago, loved her voice and had asked if she was available for performances. The manager had of course said that she didn't do things like that and that she was on vacation for a couple weeks. When the man had asked if the manager if he knew where she had gone to, he had said Wisconsin. The man had been very happy with this, because the place where he wanted her to perform, was in Winsconsin aswell, the exclusive club at Lake Winnetka. 'Lake Winnetka? I'm gonna stay at that exact lake'. 'I know, that's why I didn't say no right away, but I told him I'd have to ask you about it. What do you think? It's close by, it's just two nights and he's paying really well'. She did love performing occasionally and maybe this way her family got to see her on stage, something they never had before. 'Tell him I'll do it, but only if my family can come and see me'. 'Awesome, I'm sure he'll agree to that. I'll call him back right away and I'll text you the details, okay? Have fun, Nik, and I'll see you in a couple of weeks'.

Wow! Someone actually booked her… and she wasn't even a professional singer, it was just a fun hobby. And it just so happens to be at the lake, what a coincidence. This is gonna be so cool!

When she finally arrived after another couple of hours, she called her uncle, but instead got her aunt on the phone. 'Hi honey, have you arrived yet?' 'Yeah, I was calling to ask if someone coming to pick me up or something?' 'Of course, we're at a clambake now, but your uncle is coming to get you, right Tom?' aunt Kate asked her husband and he said into the phone 'On my way, Nikki, and you might wanna think about your choice of outfit. We were kind of underdressed, if you know what I mean'. 'Okay, thanks, see you in a bit'. _Underdressed? At a clambake? Must be fancier than it sounds then… then I can't show up in jeans and a shirt I guess… but what then? Oh I got it!_ And she ran into the toilets.

15 minutes later her uncle got to the station and started looking for her. When he found her, he couldn't believe his eyes. 'Nikki?' he asked the beautiful woman standing some metres away from him. 'Is that you? You look so…mature' he said, looking at the simple black dress and stiletto's she was wearing and with her hair pulled up in a clip, she looked older than her 20 years. He was so used to seeing her in simple jeans and a shirt, that he didn't quite believe his eyes. 'Really, well I was going for nice, but mature is good I suppose… I hope you don't mean boring with that… cause I've got these to fix that' she said whilst holding up a pair of long green earrings, matching bracelets and belt, that would look great with her fiery red hair and green eyes. 'All those years of Lorraine giving me advice didn't go to waste… at least not completely' she said with a smile. 'Sweety, you look beautiful, you'll outshine everyone… and that's a good thing Nikki' Tom said when he saw her disgusted look. She really hated being in the spotlights because of her looks. Because of singing, she didn't mind that, but she hated being judged by appearance. 'Fine, uncle Tom. Shall we go, before the clam bake is over?' 'Ah, yes, the clam bake. Which is not so much a clam bake as it is a buffet in the fancy lakeclub…' 'At the lakeclub? Really? I wanted to talk to you about that place…' 'What about it, sweety?' 'Uhmm… I've been asked to perform there two nights, while I'm there. Some guy saw me singing at Harvard and he wanted me to sing here as well. So I said yes, cause I was already going here and it sounds like fun. But I said that I would only do it if you guys were allowed to come see me there, and according to the manager, that wasn't going to be a problem, and I really would love it if you guys could come and see me… I mean if you wanted to…' she rambled, but her uncle immediately said 'Nikki, of course we would love to see you on stage. The hours we used to spend listening to you singing… but never on stage, of course we'll come. But do you have any idea who hired you?' 'No, I haven't gotten the details yet, why?' 'No reason, just asking' Tom said quickly, not wanting to dampen her spirit with the knowledge that it was probably Jimmy Murtaugh who hired her. She was always on his side, even though she had never met the guy, and knew how he felt about him and would probably reject this performance for his sake if she knew. As much as he loved her for it, he didn't want to ruin this for her, when she was so obviously excited about it. _We'll see, maybe it will even make him jealous to know that she is related to us… this should be fun. I'm really awful to think such a thing, but then again… Jimmy Murtaugh is a pretty awful guy himself._

Just before they got to the club, she got a text from the manager of the café. 'It says that the performances are this Saturday and on Labour Day. I should ask for the manager there, his name is Oliver and he can tell me all about it' she said to her uncle. 'Okay then we'll go find this Oliver when we get there' he said. 'Thanks, uncle Tom. I'm really looking forward to this. I can't wait to perform for you guys on stage' she told him smiling.

When they arrived, they were told by the door to ask inside where they could find the manager. _Great, like I want to talk to him more. Remember, this is for Nikki _Tom thought. As they walked towards Jimmy and his wife, who was still talking to Kate, who looked a bit helpless, he noticed it got a bit quieter since they entered the building. He also noticed that Nikki had noticed it too. _I should have expected it with the way she looks, but she's not gonna like it. She clearly didn't expect it._

She didn't and found it quite annoying when people were openly staring at her, as always. It made her move a bit faster and when she got to the little group she immediately moved over to her aunt, who gave her a big hug. 'Nikki, we've missed you. You really should come to visit more often' 'I know, I know, I've just been so busy… I'm sorry though'. Kate sighed and said 'Honey, that's not your fault. You've got your study to worry about first, we know that. We're really proud of you, you know that right? Now, let me look at you… You look wonderful; I guess you took the 'underdressed' part seriously. It's a beautiful dress'. 'Thanks, but now I got to find the manager of this place'.

'Maybe I can help you with that' said a man behind her. A bit embarrassed that she had completely ignored the two people standing beside her aunt, she turned around and came face to face with a man who looked a bit older than her uncle and a woman who looked not that much older than she was herself, but by the looks of it she wasn't his daughter. 'That would be very kind of you, do you know where I might find him?' 'Yes he is in the kitchen right now, but he should get back in a couple minutes. May I ask why you need to talk to him?' 'I was hired to perform here by the owner I suppose, for two nights as a singer…' 'You're Dominique St. James?' the man asked. 'I didn't recognize you, the last time I saw you, you looked a bit different, with just jeans and a shirt'. Now Nik was getting confused 'You know me?' 'Yes, I'm the man that hired you to perform here. I'm Jimmy Murtaugh by the way'. 'Okay, well thank you for hiring me, I never do these kind of things, but I thought it would be kind of exciting and…. Wait, you're Jimmy Murtaugh?' She hadn't processed the name yet, but when it finally hit her, she stood there stunned. _O my God, Jimmy Murtaugh… uncle Tom's nemesis hired me and he's also the father of my nemesis…. wait, don't tell me that ass is here!_ 'You, you don't happen to be here by yourself?' She asked hesitantly, fearing the answer. 'Not that I see how that matters, but I'm here with my wife Serena'. _O thank God he's not here… _'and my children of course'. _Shit. _'Really, how… how nice. I know some of them, I think'. _Just my luck, of course he brought them with him. Why did I come here again? Oh right, a stress free environment… not. _But she did know some of his other children. Ann happened to be a friend of hers, even though she knew about Nik's dislike of her brother, and also their older brother Calvin, who studied at Yale, sometimes visited his sister and she liked him too, on the odd occasion that they spent time together, the last time already a couple months ago. _Maybe if I get out of here right now, I can avoid him…_ 'You know them already? That's nice… oh and here they are…' _Damn, no avoiding him tonight then…_

'Wow, will you look at that? Now she's hot! Look, the one that's standing near dad…' Calvin had said this about a couple women already and Daniel was getting quite tired of it. 'Do I look like I care about that?' he asked. 'No, but then again, all you think of is _her_, so I'm not surprised you don't look at other women any more…' 'Wait, what? All I think about is who?' 'Nik of course, that girl you're competing with. You claim it's just so you can prove you're the best, but I see the way you look when you get all worked up about something she did… you want her'. Daniel was acting defensive now 'I really have no idea what you're talking about, I hate her. She's annoying and bitchy…' 'and beautiful and smart and hot and you want her' Calvin concluded. 'You don't fool me, I see the signs, my brother. You – Want – Her' he said as if explaining it to a child who didn't understand him. 'I really don't…' Daniel began, but Calvin cut him off 'There is no point in you denying any more, but since she apparently hates you as much as you claim to hate her, you might as well admire this stunning girl with me. I mean, look at those legs!' Daniel realized it was no use convincing his brother that he really did hate her _I really do! ... really… I'm sure it's just that… she's just annoying and that's why I keep thinking of her… really, that's all there's to it…_, so instead he searched for the girl Calvin was talking about, trying to prove he was perfectly able to admire other women. It really was a gorgeous woman, but why did she look so familiar? And then she turned around to face his dad… _O my God, it's her! No it can't be, she's so beautiful… wait, no, I did not just think that… remember, I hate her, she's an arrogant bitch… with one hell of an ass… no! _'Calvin it's her! How can she be here?' 'Wait, that's her? That's Nik? Damn, bro, you do know how to pick them!' Calvin said smugly. 'Will you stop that? I don't like her, I hate her! Surely you can see that?' Then their sister Ann joined them and said 'Yes Calvin, stop talking about her like that. She's my friend you know and since Daniel here _luvs_ her…' 'I do not!' 'Yeah, yeah, whatever… so you shouldn't talk about her like that! Let's go say hello!' She stood up and Calvin immediately followed her with the comment 'Yes, let's. I would love to get reacquainted with a girl like that', leaving Daniel either to follow them or sit by himself looking like an idiot, all worked up. _Damn, Calvin, you moron. And how can Ann like her? I mean, come on! Urgh, great now I'm talking to myself and sitting alone… no choice but to follow them… shit! _and he begrudgingly followed them to where his dad was standing.

'Nik!' When she turned around, she saw Ann and Calvin walking towards them, both with big smiles on their faces. 'Hello Calvin, hi Annie! How are you? I haven't seen you for weeks…' Nik said, whilst hugging Ann. 'I've been busy with the finals and then we went here. What about you? Last I saw of you, you had locked yourself in your room and you were driving Ashley crazy by not wanting to waste time with eating' Ann said laughing. 'These finals were important Annie, you know that. And I was too eating!' Nik said crossly, but nonetheless smiling at her friend. 'Who are you here with, Nik?' 'I'm here with my family, like my uncle Tom and my aunt Kate. I think you know them' Nik said, pointing at her aunt and uncle. 'Your aunt and uncle!' was shouted from 3 different sides. _I've hired a Baker…how in the world is that possible? _Jimmy thought, while Daniel, who had joined them, not unnoticed by Nik, asked what Calvin was thinking 'You're a Baker?'. Nik found his tone rather condescending, so she snapped back 'Yeah, basically I am. You got a problem with that Murtaugh?' 'Murtaugh?' Kate asked, because Nik never acted this hostile to anyone and she hated using last names. 'Yes, Murtaugh… what's wrong with that? I don't address people I hate with their first names, is that so weird? Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I see the manager' and suddenly she was gone, on her way to find the manager, leaving a couple very confused people behind. 'I think I'll go see where Elliott and Kenneth are' and like that, Daniel disappeared as well, before anyone could ask what was going on here. 'What just happened here?' Tom asked in general. 'Well, they hate each other, basically' Ann said and that brought all eyes to her. 'They hate each other, why?' 'They both compete to be the best student of their year at Harvard, but in a rather aggressive way. They've been acting like this, almost since they met' Ann explained to them, creating a silence for a few moments, until they heard some weird noises from outside, that made them go and take a look. What they found, was a backpack with fireworks inside, on fire, carried by Mark Baker, who was leaving chaos in his wake. The situation between Daniel and Nik momentarily forgotten, they could do nothing but stare at the backpack as it was thrown in a boat, which exploded after that and then the engine landed on top of the buffet. For Tom and Kate, a clear sign, that it was time to leave, and also to go home and let the situation sink in, because the rest of the children seemed to get along great with eachother and Daniel and Nik were the only ones who acted like Jimmy and Tom, only more openly. So, after apologizing profusely, retrieving Nik and trying to control their excited children, while Jimmy was trying to convince Tom that his children were raised better as they were all sitting quietly together, reading a book, they left. 'So I've hired a Baker to come sing here…whatever gave me that idea? But she seems to fit in with them, like they have 13 instead of 12 children. Just as chaotic as all of them. And to think, I used to be so envious of Tom. He just had it all, but it looks like the Gucci loafer is on the other foot now, right honey?' Jimmy said and Serena could do nothing but agree.


	4. A Sleepless Night

_Great. Now they all know.__ I've ruined the entire evening for them. Well, maybe not the entire evening, but Mark's fireworks took care of the rest. Why can't that ass just stay away from me? Why does he have to be everywhere I go? I just wanted to spend a quiet holiday with my family, is that so much to ask?_ Nik couldn't seem to stop thinking about the past evening, as she lay in bed in the room she was going to share with Charlie and Lorraine when they came.

When she finally did fell asleep, she started to dream. '_St. James, we need to talk'. 'Why would I wanna talk to you, Murtaugh? You already annoy me enough as it is'. 'Just talk for a minute okay? In here? Please?' As he opened a door for her, leading into a large storage closet, she wondered why he was acting so weird. He seems almost…insecure? No way, Murtaugh probably doesn't even know what the word insecure means… but then what else could it be? Deciding to just check it out, she walked in, immediately followed by Daniel. No sooner had he closed the door, when he shoved her against the wall and pinned her there with his body. Nik, rather shocked by this sudden and unexpected move, asked 'What do you think you're doing, Murtaugh? I thought you wanted to talk?' 'Oh I wanted to talk alright, but all I've got to say is: I want you' and before Nik could even begin to process that confession, his lips were on hers. She was trying to keep her cool, but his tongue in her mouth and his hands on her body, weren't exactly making it easy. When he finally moved on to kiss a line from her jaw to her ear, she was only able to formulate: 'How? Why? You…hate…me' and she lost the ability to think again when he licked her earlobe. 'I never hated you. You just seemed to hate me, so I tried to make it look like I hated you too, so you wouldn't find out how beautiful…smart…funny…sexy I found you' accompanying each of his words with kisses down her collarbone until he reached her breasts, but he was forced to stop when she suddenly grabbed his face and pulled his head up, so she could look him in the eyes 'I never hated you either. And I want you just as much' after which she took his mouth with hers and moved against him, feeling his excitement and … _Nik shot up straight in her bed. _O my god, I did not just dream about us almost having sex in a closet! Yes, I did. Damn. Why? I really, really don't like him… right? Maybe it's just physical? Yes, that's it! There are no subconscious feelings I have for that idiot. He's just a very handsome and sexy idiot and I just haven't had sex for a really long time so… yeah, that's it. Just plain and simple lust. Nothing wrong with that. I can handle that, I'll just avoid him even more that I was already planning to do in the first place. Yes, it's gonna be okay. I can just stop thinking about it now. Nothing emotional, just lust. I don't like him, I don't like him… Everything will be fine… _and somewhat comforted she went back to sleep, not knowing that across the lake, someone was in exactly the same position…

_I don't like her, right? She's a bitch, there's no reason for me to like her… Then why can't I stop fantasizing about her?_ Daniel thought, remembering the dream he just woke up from, still feeling her touch on his skin, her body under his hands, her lips…_O my god, her lips…if they're anything like that in real life, I might just have to…no, no! I'm going to stop thinking about her, I have to! I hate her and she hates me…it's no use fantasizing about something that will never happen…especially if I don't want it to happen…I really don't…_ and with this as his last thoughts, Daniel Murtaugh also went back to sleep.


End file.
